Co-pending application Ser. No. 13/396,582, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, dramatically advanced the state of the art of computer system security. Nevertheless, certain challenges and opportunities for improvement remain.
Conventional computing devices typically include one to many conventional types of subsystems such as storage, networking, audio/video, I/O interfaces, etc. However, these subsystems are typically inherently unsecure and vulnerable to many different types of threats.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, a conventional non-secure computer 150 (e.g. a desktop or notebook computer) includes a host system 102, typically including a CPU running an operating system, application software and device drivers. Computer 150 further includes devices 106 associated with various computer subsystems such as an internal drive 106-1 (e.g. HDD or SSD), audio/video input and output devices 106-2 (e.g. display, speakers, etc.), I/O ports and devices 106-3 (e.g. USB, Firewire, etc.) and network interfaces 106-4 (e.g. WiFi, Ethernet, etc.).
The lack of security over the subsystems associated with these devices results in many vulnerabilities. More particularly, in connection with internal drive 106-1, data stored on it is typically non-encrypted. This means that if it is discarded or surreptitiously inspected (e.g. by someone stealing computer 150 or by virus software on host 102), its contents can be retrieved, including any sensitive, private or confidential data. Further, many users do not regularly back up their data, rendering the data on drive 106-1 vulnerable to drive or system failure.
Even when data is encrypted and/or backed-up, its level of security depends on the specific operating system and application. Further, if encryption keys are also stored locally on computer 150 they can be accessed and used surreptitiously.
In connection with audio/video input and output devices 106-2, data displayed or audio played can include sensitive information which is subject to eavesdropping, particularly when computer 150 is being operated in a public place. However, when unauthorized copies of this displayed information are discovered, it is sometimes difficult to prove the source or circumstances of the unauthorized copy.
In connection with I/O ports and devices 106-3, standard I/O communication protocols such as USB do not provide any level of security for the data transmitted from the peripheral devices to the host system. USB data is sent in plain text. Accordingly, the data can be captured and analyzed by any USB protocol analyzer or software application. Moreover, any USB peripheral is capable of connecting to a host computer since USB specification doesn't provide any means to filter unwanted or potentially harmful devices. This poses a huge risk for enterprises, and more particularly, IT administrators who are responsible for securing their IT systems and devices. Still further, USB devices may contain executable programs that can run on (and potentially harm) the computer 150.
In connection with network interfaces 106-4, data sent over a network can include sensitive information that is also subject to interception. Moreover, network data received by computer 150 can include harmful applications such as viruses and malware. Some organizations provide some level of security over their internal networks using such security protocols as VPN. However, not all network connections by computers in an organization utilize a VPN security protocol. And even when they do, they are not always automatically started prior to boot/network connection, providing a window of opportunity for the resident malware to send/receive information. Moreover, VPN connections in software are fairly slow and they do not support high-bandwidth connections, such as those in the hundreds of megabits/sec (e.g. 100 Mbs or 1 Gbs Ethernet and higher). In principle, all network communications using an organization's computers (whether internal or external) should be secured.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that many applications would benefit from the ability to seamlessly and unobtrusively add security over the above and other subsystems and/or from the ability to centrally manage such additional security features over the computer devices of an organization.